immigration court in Chiang Mai

[jaloochapurr]

Does this get done in CM or only in BKK?

Can you get fine pay it off at 200 a day and get deported from CM?

I find no mention of it.

[Maestro]

I don't think there is an immigration court. Crimes committed under the Immigration Act are dealt with by the regular criminal court.

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[jaloochapurr]

So what becomes of someone who is an overstay in CM?

Not that I have heard of a case here.

They must have IDC here.

[NancyL]

You should consult with your Consulate. It would be very nice if there was one in Chiang Mai, esp. since there are direct international flights out of CM. As it is now, if an elderly man on overstay wants to return to his home country he has to come up with the full 20,000 baht fine to pay at the airport. That keeps some guys here, on overstay trying to come up with the money. If they had an immigration court here, presumably the fine could be reduced like it often is in Bangkok and then the guys could leave sooner.

[Mario2008]

Per above, there is no immigration court. If you are arrested you will be taken to immirgation and can pay the fine. If not, you will be brought before a judge in the criminal court and be sentenced to pay a fine. If you cannot pay that fine, you are taken to jail and serve 1 day for every 200 baht (?).

When you have served your sentence (or paid the fine), you will be brought to the immigration detention facility. (There is one in CM). You will stay there till you yourself have paid for a plane ticket to your home country.

I have heard that after 6 months, if you can't pay the plane ticket, there is an organsation that will try to help you and pay for your ticket.

[TerryLH]

"You should consult with your Consulate."

???

[ubonjoe]

The problem is even getting before a judge. There have been people that tried to give themselves up to immigration and were told to just go to the airport and leave. Immigration was not interested in dealing with them.

Most people that get charged for an overstay have other legal problems and end up before a judge for those crimes.

[MikeandDow]

"You should consult with your Consulate."

???

Agree with you Terry, what has the consulate to do with it, its just overstay, pay the fine and finished, if can not, stay under the radar until you have the fine, or go to immigration and let them deal with it.

[tolsti]

The IDC is not a hotel chain. You cannot expect them to open branches just where you want to overstay.

[lemonjelly]

The IDC is not a hotel chain. You cannot expect them to open branches just where you want to overstay.

I agree, if one wants to overstay, at least have the decency to do it near an IDC.

[NancyL]

When you have served your sentence (or paid the fine), you will be brought to the immigration detention facility. (There is one in CM). You will stay there till you yourself have paid for a plane ticket to your home country.

Mario, where is the IDC in Chiang Mai? I was under the impression that overstayers are hauled down to Bangkok -- and it's not in a aircon van!

[ubonjoe]

When you have served your sentence (or paid the fine), you will be brought to the immigration detention facility. (There is one in CM). You will stay there till you yourself have paid for a plane ticket to your home country.

Mario, where is the IDC in Chiang Mai? I was under the impression that overstayers are hauled down to Bangkok -- and it's not in a aircon van!

There are detention centers located all over the country. They are mostly used for those from neighboring countries that are caught for being here illegally.

Before they built a new one up here it was just a roof with no walls. There were chains they could use to keep them from running away.

They normally send those from distant countries to the one in Bangkok for deportation proceedings.

[NancyL]

That's what I thought -- it's just a holding area. Someone does not serve their entire sentence in Chiang Mai. In fact, I'd heard they were held in CM just for a short time, hauled up to CR for a longer wait, then collected and taken down to Bangkok for processing thru the court and then into IDC to serve a sentence.

I was assisting an elderly gentleman with health problems who was one of the few oldsters arrested for overstay and he "got lost" in the system for a while while the consulate here was trying to find him. He needed medication which he wasn't going to get during the multi-day journey down to IDC in Bangkok.

[ubonjoe]

The ones from neighboring countries they just take them to the nearest border crossing for their home country and send them across the border. Most of them don't have passports or visas so they just send them home.

[philw]

Welcome to the humane world of the Thai incarceration services............

[Mario2008]

That's what I thought -- it's just a holding area. Someone does not serve their entire sentence in Chiang Mai. In fact, I'd heard they were held in CM just for a short time, hauled up to CR for a longer wait, then collected and taken down to Bangkok for processing thru the court and then into IDC to serve a sentence.

I was assisting an elderly gentleman with health problems who was one of the few oldsters arrested for overstay and he "got lost" in the system for a while while the consulate here was trying to find him. He needed medication which he wasn't going to get during the multi-day journey down to IDC in Bangkok.

If you are sentenced by a court to do time instead of paying the fine, you go to a regular jail. After having served your time, you are taken to the IDC. Often that will be in BKK, but can depend on the circumstances, where you stay till you have your ticket out and the flight is actual leaving.